ESPN's Marty Smith reveals when Lane Kiffin is expected to make decision on coaching future

Last week, Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said he expected Lane Kiffin to make a decision on his coaching future after the Egg Bowl. Following the Rebels’ victory over Mississippi State in the rivalry game, ESPN’s Marty Smith provided a clearer timeline.

The sense is an announcement could come down later Saturday after Kiffin meets with officials at Ole Miss. After the Rebels’ victory in Starkville Friday afternoon, Kiffin headed to Tupelo to watch his son, Knox, play for Oxford in the Mississippi state playoffs. From there, he will weigh whether to stay at Ole Miss or leave for LSU.

Because of that commitment, Smith said a decision is likely to come later in the day Saturday. With that timeline, he set the evening as the time period to watch for an announcement one way or another.

“One of the biggest decisions of his life,” Smith said at halftime of Friday’s Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M. “He doesn’t know yet, whether he’s going to go to LSU or stay at Ole Miss. And it’s an incredibly complex decision for him that, to me, in all the conversations I’ve had with him, comes down to one fundamental variable: Can he win a national championship somewhere else vs. can he win one at Ole Miss?

“I’m told the decision here will come tomorrow, but is expected to come later in the day. Tonight, he’s over in Tupelo at his son Knox’s state semifinal high school football game. So the thought is that meeting will happen later in the day tomorrow and we should have a resolution to this sometime tomorrow evening.”

Lane Kiffin’s future has been the biggest storyline in college football the last few weeks as two programs – LSU and Florida – prepared lucrative offers to hire him away from Ole Miss. Friday, On3 insiders reported the Gators are shifting their attention toward other targets. On3’s Pete Nakos also detailed what the steps could be for each program, depending on what Kiffin decides.

All the while, Ole Miss had to get ready for a huge game on Black Friday. The Rebels eventually took down Mississippi State 38-19 amid the noise, and Kiffin told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor he still has not made a decision. That is expected Saturday after Ole Miss AD Keith Carter previously said an announcement would come down Saturday, following Friday’s Egg Bowl in Starkville.

“No, I haven’t (made up my mind),” Kiffin said on the broadcast. “I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow, but right now, I’m just going to go enjoy these players. I told them last night, you’re going to win your 11th game, and all I want to do is experience joy watching you, and that’s what I’m about to do.”